[3][4] The Clarks started making slippers, shoes and boots in the town in the 1820s and the company grew, introducing mechanised processes in the 1860s.

[5] Production continued until after 2000 when it was moved off-shore, using third party factories, predominantly located in Asia.

In the 19th century, in line with the family’s Quaker values, the capital was also extended beyond the factory to benefit social initiatives in Street: a school was founded so that young men and women could combine working in the factory with continuing their education, a theatre was opened, a library was built, along with an open-air swimming pool, known as Greenbank, and town hall.

[13][14] The museum closed to the public on 27 September 2019, and its artefacts were transferred to the nearby Alfred Gillett Trust.

[1] In September 2023, planning permission was granted to build a new shoe museum next to the Alfred Gillett Trust.